Somewhere To Call Home
by KayBeth13
Summary: The war is over and peace has settled over middle earth, but for the orphaned half elf, half human Aeva, the war is not over. Shunned by her human family, she decides to find her elven family, and maybe find somewhere she can finally call home. ON HIATUS
1. Leaving Gondor forever

The war may have ended, but all it had left behind was death, destruction and despair. Homes destroyed, folk of all types, from men to the Ents were totally annihilated without a second thought. Many people say there is hope now to build a new life, and new future, but what about those left with nothing? What of those who had lost everything in the war, their parents and their entire village, leaving them completely alone? Nobody seems to think or even care about those people. They're just left to fend for themselves.

I am one of those people. My mother had died before the war, and my father, a great elven warrior, had been murdered at the battle of helms deep. I was branded an outcast by my mother's family and my village. No one wanted a half cast in their lives. No-one had time for the half human half elven teenager. I didn't know much of my father as he left before my mother found she was pregnant. All I knew is that he was an elf from Rivendell named Elladan, the son of lord Elrond. My mother was human, a tall, beautiful and graceful woman from Rohan named Ùsena.

I was raised with her in Rohan until she died when I was nine, and I had been moved to Gondor to live with the remainder of her family. One wish in my life though was that I have always wanted to visit my fathers homeland and see the beauty of it for myself.

It was easy to see that I was not fully human within my village. My features were the key things that gave me away. I had knee length, golden hair, that was very straight and almost unnaturally shiny and silky. My ears were slightly pointed at the tips, and my skin was very pale, but not so I looked ill. When I was extremely happy, I had a very faint glow that would surround me, a soft pale blue colour. That glow hadn't appeared on my skin for nearly ten years now, back when I was still a child. I was very tall too, even before my mother had died, I had almost been her height, and if she were still alive now, I would be a head taller than her. I am taller than everyone in the village, and for years I have been the target of many jokes and remarks as they have shown time and time again that they fear me.

My only human feature are my eyes. I have my mothers eyes, a vibrant , piercing green that shone and sparkled in the sunlight, and whenever I was happy and smiling. Now though, I hated them. They shone and stood out, even when all I wanted them to do was turn black, to reflect the emptiness I felt in my body.

As people moved around me, rebuilding their homes and moving on with their lives, I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to do in my life. I knew my family didn't want me, and I was well aware that now I was eighteen and legally an adult, they would not hesitate to let me on my way and tell me to make my own living. I had decided that I would leave before they had the chance to say that to me, so I had risen early this morning and packed my belongings before moving outside and mounting my horse Flax, slinging my bag across my shoulders and leaving the city behind me, knowing that the first my family would know of my disappearance would be when they read my note explaining why I had left.

I had decided that it was time for me to return to Rohan. My close childhood friend Sarria had offered to let me stay with her for a few days, while I sorted myself out before I made my journey across the lands, so that I could go to Rivendell, just this once to see my other family, and hopefully, I will finally find somewhere that I would be accepted for who I really am.


	2. Memories of war

I knew in my heart I was in Rohan from the second my horse's hoof stepped into it. Rolls and rolls of endless hills and open land stretched out in front of me, and even the air smelled different. It smelt much fresher, but I could just catch the scent of horses mixed in with the freshness. My heart soared, and I felt lighter. Flax seemed to know he was home too, for his speed picked up and he moved ever swifter across the land.

It took less than six hours to reach my home village, a journey that by all rights should have taken anybody (well maybe not an elf) at least twelve hours, but both myself and Flax were so eager to get home, we practically flew there. As we reached the outskirts, I saw a few people dotted about here and there, and I felt so overcome with emotion that I had to stop Flax for a few seconds to calm myself down. However, at the sight of a woman running towards us, frantically waving her hands, the emotion burst, and I flung myself off Flax's back, running towards the woman and flinging my arms round her, laughing and crying with joy.

Sarria hugged me so tightly, I felt as though I was unable to breathe, but when she let go, her eyes too were swimming in tears. She gave me a warm friendly smile, the first one I had seen for many a year, and I couldn't help but put my arms round her once again. This time, I was the first one to pull away, and I turned to retrieve Flax's reins, only to find that the stubborn stallion had wondered off, probably to reacquaint himself with his old friends again.

I laughed gleefully as I watched him frolicking around with the other horses, before turning and following Sarria back to her house. We moved towards my old home, and I stopped as I noticed that it appeared unoccupied. Sarria looked back at me, one eyebrow raised at my actions.

"Sarria? Why isn't my house occupied?"

"well, after you left, no-one wanted to take it, and any newcomers to the village were declined if they asked for it. We knew you'd be back one day, we just didn't know when or for how long."

I smiled widely and ran up to it, opening the door and inhaling deeply as I stepped inside. Yes, it smelt very musty due to the fact it had been unused for so long, but past the mustiness, I could still smell what it used to be like, still smelt of my mum.

Sarria watched me as I moved round each room, opening all the cupboards, feeling all the clothes in every drawer, every wardrobe, running my hands along all the books on the shelves scattered around and smiling as I noticed that the kitchen was exactly how it had been when I had left. I turned back to look at her.

"thank you." I said softly.

She shrugged, a very un-ladylike gesture, and grinned.

"don't mention it. It was actually Graemer who had saved it for you. He was very fond of you, you know."

Graemer was the village elder, who had been nearing a century in age when I had left, so it was no real surprise to me when Sarria explained a few moments later that he had passed away not three weeks after I had left the village. She joked that my leaving WAS the reason he died, but I could see in her eyes that her statement was actually nearer the truth than she was letting on. I felt saddened by the news of his passing. I had always looked upon him as a fatherly figure, especially as I had never known my own father.

I invited Sarria to stay for dinner, once we had collected a few ingredients from her house first. As I stood in the kitchen preparing the meal and cooking it, Sarria filled me in on what I had missed while I was away, which was not very much, not very surprising. She then pressed me for information about what it had been like living in Gondor at the time of war, and I just kept quiet, refusing to say anything except that it had been the most horrific experience in my life. She twisted round in her seat to meet my eyes head on.

"what was his name?"

"excuse me?"

"it is obvious that you lost someone you love in one of the battles."

I didn't answer and turned to carry on cooking the meal. I think Sarria realised that it was a tender subject, as she turned back to stare at the fire that she had made.

After the meal ended, and I declared myself ready to turn in for the night, Sarria bade me farewell before leaving. I waited a few minutes before moving outside and whistling for Flax, smiling when a few seconds later he came trotting up to me. I moved him into his old stall, and I saw his eyes light up as he saw his old home. Almost immediately, he curled up and by the time I had filled his water bowl and put a fresh bale of hay in there with him, he was fast asleep.

I moved back into the house and walked into my bedroom, opening my drawer and smiling with fondness as I pulled out one of my old nightdresses. I slipped into it, but within minutes, I had removed it again, opting to wear an old tunic and a pair of breeches that had been cut short for more comfort. Many people would look down at it as I knew my attire was not befitting of a young unmarried woman, but I preferred comfort over beauty and was not willing to change that.

That night, I had a dream that was actually a memory, one that had left me alone for almost a week now, but had decided to return again tonight. My biggest secret was that I had not been kept completely away from the war and hidden in Gondor.

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When I heard that all the villages in Rohan had been evacuated to Helm's Deep, I had managed to escape one night with Flax, and soon found myself at the fortress. I needed to know that my homeland was safe, and the following day, I did the craziest, and possibly the most stupid thing I have ever done in my life.

I disguised myself as a man. Cut my waist length hair to my shoulders, changed my dress for battle attire, lined up for armour and a sword, then stood at the base of the fortress, ready to defend it. My reason for doing this was simple. I had nothing really to live for, so I would die defending those I loved. Soon, we could hear horns in the distance, but my sharp hearing could tell that these were no Orc horns. My suspicions were confirmed when lord Aragorn hurried down the steps, calling out that the newcomers were friend, not foe. As the gates were opened to reveal our new friends, my mouth dropped open in shock.

Elves! Hundreds of elves, and by the looks of their markings and their flags, could tell they were the guard from Lothlórien, led by none other than the marchwarden Haldir. I had heard much about Haldir, as it seemed my mother had met him previously and had grown very fond of him, but to actually see him in person took my breath away. He was much more than my mother described. She had stated that he was tall, strong and handsome, but the being I saw in front of me was not only all three of these, but he held and unearthly beauty and an almost regal air of authority.

His eyes wandered along the troops, and I know they stopped on me and he saw through my disguise, for his eyes widened in shock and he looked as if he was about to approach me. I hastily turned and moved further up the fortress so that I could be away from him and be sent below. Soon, both men and elf were being stood in formation, side by side. I myself was asked how well I could wield a bow, and after replying that I was very good with a bow, I was moved so that I was standing right next to an elf. I didn't dare look up in case it was him, but unfortunately fate was not on my side.

A smooth white hand fell upon my shoulder and I raised my eyes to find myself gazing into the most beautiful grey eyes I had ever seen in my life. They seemed stern and rigid, yet at the same time held a hint of sympathy in them.

"this is no place for a woman, even a half-elf like yourself" he whispered, his voice soft and lilting, like the fresh breeze on a summers day.

"I do not know what you mean my lord."

"the fact you are aware that I am a lord tells me you are of elven kind, and your eyes and skin are far too soft to be those of a man."

I tried to tear my eyes away from his, but was unable to do so, for he seemed to be sending me a silent warning to not try and run. The sound of a horn in the distance caused us to break our gazes, and I turned my now shaking body to face the Orcs heading towards us. I gasped as I took in the sheer number of them, and fought hard to appear brave, especially in front of Haldir. I felt his hand on my shoulder again, and I glanced up at him, almost dropping with shock as he gave me a brief, warm smile, silently reassuring me that all would be well.

I faced the Orcs again, and readied my bow as they began to advance. My mind went blank then, nothing else mattered apart from staying alive and returning to Gondor as soon as possible. Before long, my arrows were spent, and I discarded my bow, unsheathing my sword as I did so. I glanced again at Haldir, who had just two arrows left, until he too had to revert to using his sword. He looked down at me, his expression sombre, his eyes hard yet filled with a weariness, a sign of a warrior. This time it was I who smiled at him, before turning to slice an Orc that had dared come too close to me. As I fought, I noticed Haldir kept glancing at me, but each time he did so, I would fell another Orc, before sending him a look that told him I was fine and would handle myself perfectly fine.

Suddenly, there was a cry from behind me, and not one of an Orc. I spun round to see Haldir sink to his knees, blood soaking the back of his head, his eyes open wide in shock. I screamed as I ran over to him, faintly hearing Aragorn calling out his name in the background. I made little work of the Orc that had felled the elf, before dropping down next to him. Reaching for my bag of healing herbs that I stored with me at all times.

"it is too late for me…you must go." he whispered.

"no, my lord, I can help."

His eyes fluttered, and at that moment, Aragorn appeared next to me, taking hold of his friend, moving him off me. As soon as he did, I rose to give them privacy, but not before pouring the rest of the mixture over his wound. Haldir gave me one last look, and I could see the light in his magnificent eyes begin to fade. He seemed to be reaching for something, and I picked up his sword, moving to give it to him, but he enclosed my hand around it. I stared in shock, as did Aragorn, before I stood and curtseyed, then ran off, blinking back my tears and hiding myself from Aragorn who would have figured out by now that I was no man. I did not see Haldir pass onto the next realm nor did I see Aragorn again, but I heard from another elf the following morning that Haldir had indeed been felled, but Aragorn was alive and well.

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I woke from my dream with a cry, flinging the covers off myself before burying my head in my hands and letting the few tears there flow. I had barely interacted with him, yet even in that short space of time, I had felt myself almost bond with the magnificent elf, only to have him taken away before I could indulge in it any further. My mother warned me that Haldir had that affect, yet I had chosen not to believe her.

My hand unconsciously reached down into my satchel and I drew out the sword he had given me back on the battle field, holding it close to me as more tears dripped onto it. Even after that night and all the use it had through the war, there was neither a blemish nor a scratch on the blade, and the fine detail of the patterns on it had not faded, a true sign of the Lothlórien elves craftsmanship.

I moved back into a lying position, and soon fell asleep again, still holding onto the blade, as if it was the only thing keeping me alive. I had decided. Tomorrow, I was leaving for Rivendell. I had to meet my real family, meeting Haldir had shown me that even elves were indestructible. I needed to find home.


	3. Lórien

Just a quick note: anything written in italics is spoken in elvish.

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I woke before the sun had risen the next morning, and early began preparing myself for the journey ahead. The main thought going through my mind was whether I would need to take my warm cloak or my fine summer weight one, as I knew that the journey through the mountains could turn perilous at times, especially at this time of year where the weather could not make up its mind as to whether it would be hot or cold as each day approached. In the end I chose to take my heavier weighted cloak as it would be easier for me to cool down than it would to warm up.

By the time I had finished preparing, the sun was now up and I could hear the sounds of people beginning to stir in their homes, pots were being banged as breakfast were prepared, men were out turning their horses out into the fields and children started running around and laughing in their innocence. I moved outside and greeted Flax as he poked his head out of his stable door, waiting very patiently for me to return. I patted his nose and he blew gently on my face, making me giggle slightly. I opened the door to let him out and he trotted off to the paddock, rejoining the other horses again.

When I returned to my house, Sarria was already there in my kitchen, preparing breakfast for the pair of us.

"make yourself at home." I joked.

She stuck her tongue out at me and tried to flick me with the cloth in her hand, but I easily dodged it. Before long, we were sitting down eating our food, and once we finished, I washed up while Sarria packed the left over food up in a cloth and placed it inside my bag. I finished washing and moved to join her, picking my bag up and whistling for Flax once again. He trotted over, and I led him to his stable. I picked up one brush and Sarria picked up another one, and silently helped me to brush him, but I could tell her heart was not really in it as a few minutes later, I noticed that she was still brushing the same spot.

I moved next to her and placed my hand over hers stilling her movements. She kept her head bowed and my eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Sarria. Look at me."

She looked up and I could see the faint trace of tears that were brushed across her eyes. She moved close to me and I put my arms round her, holding her there for a few minutes. When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes before looking up at me again.

"must you leave so soon?"

"I must. I feel in my hear, I need to find my family."

Understanding showed in her eyes, and I was grateful that she didn't try to do anything else to stop me from going. I finished brushing Flax's hair, making sure to comb every knot and mud patch on him, until his chestnut coat began to glimmer and shine. I stepped back, pleased with my result, then picked up his bridle and saddle, putting them on him and strapping my bag too him also. I asked him to stay there for a while and he snorted in reply. My answer to that was to give him a gentle pat on his rump, and call him a cheeky fool. I could have sworn he snickered at that.

I moved into the house and quickly changed, choosing a pair of riding breeches and a tunic. I wrapped my hair up into a long braid, then put my boots on, sliding a dagger inside my left boot, and another dagger was attached to my arm guard. Finally, I was ready. The last thing I removed from the house was Haldir's sword. I stepped outside and Sarria gave me an almost fearful look as she saw the long sword in my hands and watched as I attached it to the saddle. I then jumped onto the saddle and unsheathed the sword as quickly as I could, whipping it round my head, and laughing as I heard her squeal of surprise. I re-sheathed the sword and turned to face her. She was now giving me a look that clearly asked me if I was crazy.

"what's that look for?" I asked, trying to hide the amusement in my voice.

"why do you carry a sword?"

"how else will I defend myself? The war may be over, but there will always be the odd few enemies lurking."

I dismounted Flax, and stepped back over to her. I pulled her close to me again, and she held on to me, begging me to not leave again, but I had to. I remounted Flax, and we began to move away from the village. I tried to ignore the whispers and stares that came from the villagers, knowing that they still would not accept me for me, and were still afraid of me, especially as I carried a sword with me this time. For some reason, my heart did not feel heavy or lost as I moved away, it felt light and carefree; hopeful even. The village faded into the distance and the scenery once again began to change as we moved further North, and the tree density slowly began to increase as Fangorn forest neared.

I remember being told once that the forest was haunted, but I had since learnt that it was not haunted, but in actual fact, it was the Ent folk who were the cause of this superstition. Flax moved onward for a few more minutes, but then I decided that we had travelled far enough and needed to rest. We had been moving constantly now for ten hours, not stopping. I fed and watered Flax before eating my own food. I removed his tack before laying down my cloak and using it as a blanket against the cool night.

The next morning I woke before the sun rose again, and so I started to prepare for the next leg of the journey. I calculated that if Flax was up for it, we could reach the edge of Fangorn by noon, and should be near the woods of Lórien by around nightfall. I hoped that the lady Galadriel would grant me access through the woods, because if she didn't I would be forced to ride through Isengard that even in these times of peace were still a place of fear that were best left alone. Flax woke and ate, and soon we were off.

Just as I had predicted, but the time dusk was slowly descending, I saw the outline of Lórien before me, and spurned Flax on. As we began to move into the trees, I gazed in wonder as the setting sun sent fiery embers through the trees, reflecting off each leaf until the whole woods became a mass of greens and reds. The floor was scattered with leaves of gold and yellow, and the trees themselves seemed to bend, forming a tunnelled archway of gold and amber. I began moving forward, but my hearing caught the sounds of someone moving towards us, and my eyes caught sight of something moving in the bushes. I quickly drew Haldir's sword and dismounted Flax, just as a group of seven elves burst into view, each one holding a bow and arrow in their hands. I sighed and dropped the sword, raising my hands in surrender.

One of the elves stared not at me but at the sword lying at my feet, a confused thoughtfulness gracing his beautiful face. He raised his arm to the others, and they lowered their weapons. The elf bent down and picked the sword up, gently handing it back to me. I sheathed it, and patted Flax as I could sense his tension and fear.

"easy, boy" I muttered.

"_what is your purpose here in Lórien?" _He demanded

"_I wish to speak with the lady Galadriel"_

The elves seemed surprised that I had not only answered in their tongue, but had spoken with no hint of intimidation. I think they had been expecting me to speak in the language of men. The main elf that appeared to be the leader of the group, asked me why I wished to seek her counsel, so I explained that I wished to pass through the woods and would like her permission to do so.

As the elves stood there talking to each other about whether they should take me to the Lord and Lady or not, a sudden light appeared in front of us, and two beings emerged from it. Each of the elves dropped to their knees in respect, and as the light cleared, I too dropped to my knee. The Lady looked at me with a trace of amusement sparkling in her eyes.

"you need not do that, Aeva, daughter of Elladan of Rivendell, for technically, you are of a higher nobility that I, therefore it is I who should show my respect to you, not the other way round."

As she said this, she sank into a graceful and elegant curtsey, the Lord Celeborn bowing to me with just as much grace. I blushed slightly, as I had never been acknowledged like this before and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it, so I just stood up once again and took hold of Flax's reigns.

The Lady smiled warmly at me, and she offered me one of her slim and elegant hands to take hold of. I moved next to her, and as she touched me, a voice entered my head.

'_do not worry young one, for I mean no harm, I just do not want anybody to hear this. You fought in the battle of Helm's Deep alongside my marchwarden Haldir, did you not?'_

'_yes my Lady, I did do that. I am sorry for the loss of him. He was a fine warrior'_

'_tell me , did he give you that sword you posses?'_

'_yes my Lady, but if it is not too rude to ask, why would you ask me that?'_

'_it is unlike Haldir to give anything to anyone unless they made a significant impact on him, which you obviously did. It was just a shock to me, that is all'_

I felt the voice leave my head, and Galadriel turned her head slightly to give me another warm smile. I returned it with a shy smile myself, but as I turned to see the city of Lórien, my jaw dropped. Silver branches flowed like thread through the trees, winding round them to form an enormous city of branches. The moonlight shone upon the branches, causing them to shimmer like crystals of water. A winding staircase moved up each tree, and as Flax was taken to the stables, I retrieved my bag and sword before I was escorted up the largest and most central staircase. I was shown to the room I would be staying in, and the Lord and Lady both wished me a pleasant sleep. I didn't bother to undress or even look around, I was so tired I just crawled into the bed and within seconds, I was asleep.


	4. Great Grandaughter? Woah!

_I have a few apologies to make, firstly for a fault that was pointed out to me in chapter 1, where I stated that Aeva's father died at helm's deep. Originally, this story was going to be that Haldir was her father, but I changed my mind, and so I forgot to edit it. I meant to say that her father died sometime during the war- sorry about that. The second question I was asked is why Galadriel and Celeborn showed respect to her and not call her their granddaughter? The reason for this is that Aeva isn't aware of them being her relatives, and Galadriel would have known this, and also they would show her respect as she is technically of higher nobility than they are(I think). I hope this clears a few things up!_

The following morning, I woke to the sound of the trees rustling gently. I glanced over to the window to see a large tree with silvery leaves waving gently in my view. I sighed and smiled gently as I took in the beauty of the land now that the sun had risen. I could hear many birds singing, each one had its own unique yet beautiful tune. I took this opportunity to look at the room I was in. a high sloping ceiling curved down until it sloped into strong, sturdy, white walls. The furniture too was white, made of very fine and delicate wood, a thread of silver patterning running along the tops.

A knock at the door broke me out of my daydreaming, and I moved to answer it. The head of the group that had met me at the wood entrance yesterday was standing there, a dress in his hand.

"_my lady, I wish to apologise for my rudeness yesterday. Please accept this gift as my apology"_

"_there is nothing to forgive. I thank you for this dress. It is beautiful."_

It truly was beautiful. Deep yet bright blue, with gold trimmings and a golden roped belt tied around the waist. The sleeves were well fitted, eventually flaring slightly from the elbow. It was made of a very fine silk.

I smiled at him, and he smiled back before bowing and turning to walk away. I moved to close the door, but something hit me and I reopened it again.

"wait! What is your name?"

He turned back to face me, a bewildered look on his face.

"_sorry? I do not speak the language of men, my lady."_

"_I asked your name"_

He smiled in understanding then.

"_ah. My name is Rúmil."_

"_and I am Aeva"_

"_a pleasure to have met you my lady"_

He bowed again before leaving. I moved back into my room and after washing, changed into my new dress, gasping as I looked in the mirror and saw hot I looked wearing it. It hugged every curve of my body, yet modestly covered other parts of my anatomy.

There was another knock at my door, and this time as I answered it, it was Lady Galadriel. She smiled at me, and then eyed my dress carefully. I explained to her that it was a gift from Rúmil, and she smiled again.

"a beautiful gift, it looks wonderful on you."

I blushed and thanked her. Her face suddenly turned serious though.

"now, I wish to speak with you about something. Would you care to walk with me?"

"of course I will."

We moved down one of the paths, an archway of pale golden trees hovering above us. It wasn't until Galadriel spoke, that I realised that I was in a dreamland.

"do you mind if I speak in my language?"

"of course. I've always been very fond of the elvish language. I think because in a way it makes me feel closer to my father."

"_yes, that it what I wanted to speak about_"

We moved a little further until we reached a small clearing. We sat down on a bench that had been made out of a fallen tree, and Galadriel took my hands in hers.

"_now, listen closely and please do not ask any questions until I am finished."_

I nodded silently, and actually felt slightly nervous for some unknown reason I listened as she began to tell me her tale.

"_I had a daughter once named Celebrian. She was extremely fair haired and had extremely pale blue eyes. Her beauty was like none other. She lived here for many years, but one day, she wanted to travel to other realms and found herself in Rivendell, staying in the house of Elrond. She fell in love with Elrond and a few years after that, they were married, and eventually had three children. Their youngest was a daughter, my granddaughter Arwen. Their eldest were a set of twins, an extremely rare phenomenon for elves. They were both male, with deep brown hair and pale grey eyes. Their names were Elladan and Elrohir. Elladan being your father."_

As she finished, she looked to me, and I gazed back, completely and utterly stunned in silence as I tried to put everything together in my mind. So my grandfather is Elrond of Rivendell, and my grandmother was the daughter of…oh. My. God.

"_you are my great grandmother?"_ I asked.

"_yes my child, we are kin."_

I was no longer stunned. In fact, I was the complete opposite. I grinned widely and as Galadriel opened her arms, I moved towards her and wrapped my arms round her, tears coming to my eyes as she embraced me back. Knowing that I was being held by a true member of my family, a member of my family that showed they cared, made me happier than I had been for years, but I still felt like something was missing. As I pulled away, she must've noticed that something was wrong as she asked me if I was ok.

"_I am fine, grandmother, it's just I still feel as though part of me is missing."_

She gave me an almost knowing smile then, and a part of my mind warned me that she was up to something, I just couldn't imagine what. I think she read my mind then as her smile widened and she gently patted the side of my face.

"_do not worry, I plan nothing. All I will say is that I'm sure you'll find what you are missing in Rivendell."_

I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant, but at that point, Celeborn, or rather, my great-grandfather appeared. I think Galadriel must've said something to him in his mind as his face and eyes suddenly lit up, and he walked over to me and placed a hand on my arm

"I am glad you know we are your kin" he said softly.

I returned his arm gesture and gave him a warm smile. He told us that breakfast was about to be served, and so the three of us walked back up to the city, me in the middle, Celeborn with his hand on my shoulder, Galadriel holding my hand atop of hers.

The whole number of elves that were in the dining hall as we arrived stood up and either bowed or curtseyed. I caught a glimpse of Rúmil and smiled at him before giving him a small wave. He grinned back and bowed again.

"you seem fond of him?" Celeborn asked.

"no, grandfather, we had a slight misunderstanding yesterday, but we are over it now."

"I see."

Once breakfast was over, Galadriel accompanied me as I moved to my room, and she sat on my bed as I began to unpack my belongings. She stared at the items I pulled out, and one item in particular caused her eyes to widen, and her face to gain a look of disdain. She hesitantly poked at the fabric, then lifted it up with one finger and holding it away from her body as if it were a poison.

"_and what do you call this?" _she asked me.

"_umm, it's a cloak"_

She dropped it back onto the bed with a look of disgust and I found myself trying desperately hard not to laugh at the expression and her actions. She moved off my bed and called out the window to an elf that had just passed by on the path below. A few moments later there was a knock at the door and Galadriel answered it.

"_ah, Imroden, I wish for you to meet my great granddaughter, Aeva, daughter of my grandson Elladan of Rivendell."_

The elf curtseyed, and I returned it with a curtsey of my own. Galadriel picked up my cloak and gave it to the woman.

"_I wish for you to dispose of this, then you are to get your mother to create a new cloak fit for a princess, understand?"_

"_yes my Lady. Of course."_

Galadriel turned back to face me. I was standing there in shock. I had no problems with her disposing of my cloak as I knew it was rather unacceptable, but it was still a bit of a surprise.

"_is there any particular colour you would like?" _she asked me.

"_there are so many I love, but I must say I am very fond of the colour blue."_

She turned back to face Imroden, and told her to have a black, silver and blue cloak made for me, and that the blue was to be made in the same deep colour as my dress.

As the woman left, I turned to face Galadriel, who had now moved over to examine the rest of my belongings, picking each one up and studying it before putting it into one of two piles that she had started. One pile was considerably bigger than the other, but I didn't dare ask why she did it in case I would not like the answer I would receive.

"_do not worry, the smaller pile are items that you can have replaced for they are in dire need of either repairing or upgrading"_

I was glad about that, especially as one item she had nearly placed on the small pile had been the hairbrush my mother gave me two days before she died. I think the reason she had decided against putting it on that particular pile was the small squeak I let out as her hand moved towards that pile.

Before long, all of my belongings had been re-packed along with some food and a blanket for the night time, and Imroden returned with the three cloaks in tow. The silver one was a very, very fine material ad Galadriel explained that it was for use in summer. The blue one was a slightly heavier material for use in cooler weather and when there was a very light rainfall. The black cloak was very heavy, made to withstand the most severe coldness and snow. I thanked her for the gifts and she embraced me once again, before explaining that if I wanted to reach Rivendell within the next six days, I should be leaving soon. I was shown the way to the stables by an elven child, and I gasped as I saw Flax. he had been groomed until he was almost sparkling in the light, and his old tack had been replaced with a white saddle and bridle, with silver coloured straps and reigns.

Before I had gotten over my shock of how beautiful my steed was, another horse moved up behind me, and as I looked to see who the rider was, I saw Rúmil smiling at me.

"_are you going somewhere?" _I asked him.

He nodded, before telling me that he was accompanying me to Rivendell as he and his brother had business to take care of there. I smiled to let him know I was pleased with this agreement, and soon, I found myself embracing my great-grandparents and leaving with the promise that they would always be there for me, and I made them the promise that I would visit them often. I put my blue cape on, and mounted Flax, trotting to catch up with the two elves that had gone ahead to allow me some privacy. I looked back once to wave at Celeborn and Galadriel, and they waved back before turning and walking back into the woods. I sighed before falling into step with Rúmil.

_I was one step closer to feeling whole again._


	5. Ambushed

Rúmil's brother, I quickly found out, was named Orophin, and he was a very stoic, never seeming to be interested in anything other than getting to Rivendell safely. We had been travelling for five days now, and were expectedto arrive in Rivendell by noon tomorrow, and with each step Flax took, I could feel both mine and his excitement rising.

The road here had actually been very gentle, and the weather so far had been relatively kind to us. Though the days were warm, they weren't uncomfortable, and the nights remained relatively warm, with hardly a chill in the air. As we grew nearer to Rivendell, the shapes of the trees started changing from very thin, silvery, fine trees to thick, broad topped deep green ones. I smiled gently as we rode, taking time to enjoy the calmness and peacefulness around me.

I occasionally tried to have a conversation with Orophin, but I barely received an answer. In the end, I fell back slightly to walk in step with Rúmil.

"Ignore him. He doesn't have any social skills." he whispered in my ear.

I giggled and Orophin sent a glare in his brother's direction.

"What Rúmil seems to forget is that I have exceptional hearing"

Rúmil went slightly red with embarrassment, and turned his eyes down to the ground. I giggled again, and Orophin sent me a very small smile, so small I almost missed it. Like all elves, he was very handsome, and when he smiled, it was magnified.

Suddenly, both Orophin and Rúmil's eyes snapped to our right and as Orophin drew his sword, Rúmil grasped his bow and an arrow, readying themselves for a fight. I too drew my sword as a precaution, and a few seconds later, I gasped as I caught sight of something in the distance edging towards us.

"Orcs!" I gasped.

Orophin turned to look at me, surprise written across his face.

"How can you, a human, see them from so far away? And how did you come across that sword?"

I didn't quite know how to answer, but as I opened my mouth, Rúmil shot me a look that told me to not speak, and he released his arrow, sending it soaring towards one of the Orcs. It collapsed, and the others began to charge, knowing they had been seen.

I gulped as I felt Flax shiver underneath me, and Rúmil called out in surprise as he suddenly reared up onto his hind legs. Immediately, I became the horse trainer I had grown up as. I quickly sheathed the sword again, and grabbed both reigns, digging my heels into his sides and forcing him down. I then jumped off him and pulled his head down so that his eyes met mine. I gazed steadily at him, whispering to him and he began to calm down.

"now, we'll have none of that. You are going to be brave, and we are going to fight."

His eyes took on a look of determination then, and I knew he had managed to gain his courage. I remounted him and turned to face the Orcs that I would be able to see now if I were fully human. I grasped my sword and drew it.

As soon as the Orcs reached us, we all sprung into action. I was thankful that Rúmil had felled about nine with his bow, as that meant there were only about twenty that actually reached us. I managed to kill three, but something heavy slammed into me, throwing me off Flax. I landed on my back, and the breath was knocked out of me, but I forced myself to stand as I needed to carry on fighting.

"my lady!" I heard Orophin yell.

"I am fine! Do not worry abut me!" I called back, and to prove my point, I sliced through two more Orcs.

Once we had beaten all the Orcs, I sank to my knees, breathing heavily as my stomach still hurt. Rúmil quickly moved over to me and helped me up on my feet, making sure that I was ok and hadn't been injured.

"I am fine." I reassured him.

As I climbed onto flax, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and I grasped it for a few second, pulling away before my companions noticed. As I pulled my hand away, I noticed a small amount of blood, but I chose to not say anything. We only had hours to go until we reached Rivendell. I could seek help then.

A few hours later, my stomach lurched and burnt with a fiery pain with every movement Flax made. I got him to stop and the two elves both stopped too, giving me questioning looks.

"I don't think I'm as ok as I thought."

"what do you mean?" Orophin asked.

At that point, a wave of pain washed over me and I found myself unable to respond. I felt a wave of dizziness overtake me, but I didn't notice as I slid off Flax and crashed onto the floor, and barely registered both Rúmil and Orophin calling my name as they rushed to help me.


	6. Meeting Elrond, and a surprise!

I woke up to have bright sunlight attacking my eyes. I sat up groaning, then froze as I felt something really soft underneath me. I opened my eyes further to see that I was on a bed, a golden coloured cover wrapped round me. I groaned again as I yawned, and I heard a deep chuckle from my side. I turned my head to see a male elf standing there, watching me with steely grey eyes. His black hair was poker-straight and long, and resting on the top of his head was a very fine lace of silver.

He moved towards me, a smile gracefully making its way onto his face, his deep golden robes gently swaying as he moved. He stood next to me before resting his hand on top of mine.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Aeva."

"I am in Rivendell? How long have I been here for?"

"Only a day. You were very lucky to have two very skilled companions with you. They managed to get you here in half the time it would normally take. Though your wound was not serious and was easily treated, you did scare them"

I turned my eyes down and looked at the bed.

"I didn't want to worry them. I guess I just made it worse though didn't I?"

He smiled softly at me again then, and I could just see the hint of a few ageing lines, and I realised that whoever this elf was, he was extremely old, even older than Celeborn and Galadriel, maybe.

"You did worry them, and for a moment I was stunned, but we managed to fix you, and now you are awake and well, so no harm is done."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Lord Elrond. And it is to my knowledge that a certain son of mine had a child that he did not know about. Is that right?"

I sat there for a few seconds, not quite knowing what to say. I nodded, and thankfully, that seemed to bring my coherency back.

"Yes, your son Elladan is my father. That is what I was told as a child"

"Do not worry, I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yes. You look too much like my son to not be his child. I noticed when I was tending to you, you have his mouth."

I raised a hand to my mouth and ran a finger along it. I had always had a strange mouth, as they were very full and pale, and I guessed I inherited it from my father, but up until now I had never had confirmation. I looked up at Elrond and he patted my hand before leaning over and kissing me gently on the forehead.

"Welcome to Rivendell, my granddaughter. Now, get some more sleep"

Once he said that, he left, and I closed my eyes, a happy smile on my face. However, an hour later I found myself wide awake, and too curious to explore to sleep, so I climbed out of bed and quickly dressed before moving out into the hallway. I wondered for a while, gazing at the corridors and buildings that were so similar yet so different to those of Lothlórien. They were all of the same intricate detail and beauty, but the main colours here were gold and deep blues and reds, which made the whole place seem much more regal and of more importance.

Before long, I heard the sound of people talking, and as I turned the corner, I almost bumped into Rúmil. He grasped my shoulders to help me steady myself, and beamed at me.

"You are awake! I'm so pleased!" he said.

I smiled at him warmly.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I worried you."

"You should be, but I will not berate you, for I am in a celebratory mood!"

"Why?""our brother whom we presumed to have fallen at the battle of Helm's Deep did not fall, he was saved by one of the humans and has been here these past months in recovery!"

I smiled widely at him, and told him how pleased I was for him, but a part of me tugged as it made me think of my mother and how I wished she were still alive.

Rúmil grasped my hands and pulled me over to where four elves were talking, two of them with their backs to me. One of the elves facing our direction looked up, and as he saw me, he pushed through the other two and came over.

"You are awake. That is good, but please warm us if you are injured next time."

Though he said this with a stern tone, his eyes showed none of the sternness, so I knew he was only speaking like that for the benefit of our audience.

"Orophin, you may scold her later. For now, let us introduce her to our brother"

He led me over to the remaining two elves, and I noticed that one of them still had his back turned to us.

Rúmil frowned slightly, but shrugged his shoulders before he opened his mouth and spoke to the elf.

"Brother, I want you to meet Lord Elrond's granddaughter who accompanied us here."

The elf turned to face us, and for a second, my heart flew to my mouth and I stopped breathing.

It was none other than the marchwarden from Helm's deep. It was Haldir.

"You!" he exclaimed.

I said nothing, but my shock and fear overtook me, and I found myself pushing past him and the other elf and running as fast as I could away from them. I could hear someone chasing after me, but I managed to slip into a room, and listened as they ran past the door.

I sighed in relief that I had managed to get away, and reopened the door, only to come face to face with none other than Haldir. I gasped and tried to run past him, but he grasped my waist and pulled me gently back into the room I had just been hiding in. I calmed down and he pulled a seat out for me, so I sat on it.

"Why did you run?"

"I don't know. I think I was shocked to be perfectly honest."

"I am shocked to find out that not only did you save my life, but now you are the granddaughter of Lord Elrond?"

I looked up at him then, still not believing that he had actually survived the wound that had been inflicted on him.

"I saved your life, my Lord?"

"Yes, you put those herbs on my wound, and they kept me alive long enough for me to be transported here, where lord Elrond continued to heal me. I want to thank you for that. My life is forever indebted to you."

He bowed then before exiting the room. I stood up from my chair and tried to calm my heart down, as it was thudding loudly and at a rapid pace against my chest. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy it here in Rivendell


	7. Uncle Elrohir

_Well, I made this chapter longer as din poodle requested. And Veronica D13, I hope this chapter answers some of your questions. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!_

The following morning, I was summoned to the courtyard to meet with my grandfather. I had to ask a female elf for directions, and she showed me where to go. My grandfather smiled in greeting as I arrived, and embraced me warmly. I embraced him back before stepping back slightly. I looked behind him to see another elf behind him, who I briefly recognised as the other elf with Haldir, Rúmil and Orophin yesterday. SoMeeting about him seemed really familiar, and it suddenly clicked. He had my mouth and looked like me! I stepped back in shock.

"Father?" I gasped.

Elrond and the elf both shook their heads, Elrond in all seriousness, the elf with a huge grin on his face.

"Close, little one, but not close enough. I am your father's brother."

"My uncle?"

"Yes Aeva. This is Elrohir." Elrond said.

I gazed at Elrohir not quite sure what to say or do. He looked so much like me, it almost hurt to look at him to know that he was the mirror image of my father yet I knew in my heart that I would never get to actually meet my father, and this made the pain I felt increase tenfold.

Elrohir stepped forward and placed one hand on each of my shoulders before bending slightly to gaze into my eyes. Why he did this I do not know, but he then pulled away as if her were satisfied that he had found something and nodded.

"She is definitely his. Deep down, I can see the same courage and determination of his"

I smiled softly at that. If I was given money every time somebody had told me I wass too determined for my own good, I would be extremely wealthy by now.

Once all the pleasentries were over, Elrond stepped forward and put one of his arms round my shoulder, guiding me away from the many buildings and more towards the open grassland spread out in front.

"Now, the reason I have asked you to be here this morning is not just so that you could meet your uncle, but so that I could speak to you seriously about something. I am aware you fought at Helm's deep and managed to save Haldir's life, did you not?"

"Yes, grandfather, I did. I used specialised herbs."

"Show me."

I reaced into the belt of my dress and handed him a small pouch that contained my herbs. I always carried them with me as I never knew when they would next be needed. Elrond took them off me and poured a little of the mixture into his hands, closely examining it.

"Impressive. Only somebody of either high skill would know this mixture. Humans have yet to learn how to use the magic of herbs to the full potential, yet you, a half-elf, have managed to master it. Who taught you?"

I glanced away from his gaze as the intensity of it unnerved me very slightly, but then looked back at him to answer his question.

"I taught myself. Growing up, I would always just know inside of me which herbs would be needed. It was like every time I needed a herb for a specific purpose, a light would suddenly encase the herb I would need, as if it was showing me I would need them. I stumbled upon this particular mixture quite by accident. I saw a doe lying on the ground one day, struggling to give birth. Due to my upbringing with horses, I was able to help her with her fawn, but I could see that she was slowly losing her fight for life. I remember wishing I knew which herbs would heal her wounds, and suddenly, the light appeared again and I was able to collect the right herbs to treat her. I stayed there for seven hours, until finally, she was able to stand again, very weakly, but enough to be able to feed her baby and move to safety. I used these herbs many times for various purposes, and it worked each time"

Elrond listened intently to every word I said, his face serious, and he nodded every now and then as if he was confirming something to himself.

"Strange. I have never known this combination to do anything before."

"When I got home and studied the various herbs I used, I will admit I was very surprised they had done anything, but I do remember that a very small blue light appeared as I mixed them together."

"Could you show me?"

"I do not know if it would work. It has only ever worked when I have been desperate to save something's life."

"Such as in Haldir's case."

"To be honest, I had never used them on something quite so close to death, in fact I'm not so sure that Haldir hadn't already passed when I poured the remainder of the mixture on him, I just wanted it to work so badly."

"Well, it did, and you must be extremely proud of yourself. I am proud of you. It would seem as though you have inherited from your father what he inherited from me and I my father etc. you have inherited an extremely powerful gift: the gift of healing."

I looked at him then, and I know I had a very blank look on y face, but on the inside, my thoughts were swimming. All my life I have wondered why it is I have been able to heal like I could, and so to learn that it was completely natural for me and that I inherited it made my heart swell with happiness. Suddenly as the feeling washed over me, I noticed a tiny glow, and as I glanced down, I squeaked in shock, as my skin was glowing, unnoticeably to a human eye, and virtually unnoticeable to my own eyes, but it was there all right. The glow vanished again, and I found myself missing it slightly. It had been so long since I had last seen it; I had forgotten how comforted it made me feel.

Elrond at first gave me a look of confusion, but he must've caught sight of the glow as his eyes suddenly showed understanding. It was then that I noticed that he too had a glow, a very soft white one that was almost unnoticeable.

"Grandfather? I do not understand-what is this glow?"

He chuckled and took my hand in his.

"That is true happiness. When an elf feels truly complete, or happy, then they glow. It's like the sun. It shines as it is happy and content to do so. When it sets, it fades as it does not wish to go, but when the moon rises, the moon glows as it too is happy and content with its existence"

"So whenever I glow, it means I am happy."

He nodded in confirmation. That explained a lot, mainly why I hadn't glowed for so many years. It was because all this time, I rarely felt happy.

We walked for a while longer before I asked him where the stables were. I hadn't been to see Flax for a couple of days and my heart yearned to see him. Elrond led me over to the stables and left me on my own, probably sensing that I wanted to be alone for a while. I moved over to Flax's stall and he poked his head out at me, whinnying happily at the sight of me. I ran up to him and jumped into his stall, flinging my arms round his neck and burying my face into his mane.

"Oh, I have missed you"

He neighed softly and nuzzled my hair, before gently blowing the back of the neck, which caused me to giggle softly. I looked at him and saw that he was still as beautifully groomed as he had been when we left Lothlórien. I found his tack at the end of the building, and quickly tacked him up, flinging myself on his back and thundering down the gardens with him. Elrond had told me of a few fields they had at the back of the stables that the elf children and visitors that did not know the area used for riding in.

As soon as the first hoof set foot on the grass, Flax reared up before shooting off up the fields in a crazed gallop. I sat on his back, completely unafraid as he gently bucked and threw himself around, all the time aware of the fact his mistress was riding him, and so taking great care as to not overthrow me. I laughed gleefully as he did this, and once he settled down to just a straight forward gallop, I flung my arms out and leant back, relishing the feel of the air whistling around my face.

We reached the far end of the field and I stopped Flax, smiling as yet again he reared up onto his hind legs, which gave me a clearer view of the valley. I couldn't believe the sight. It was so different to Lothlórien. Lothlórien was a beautiful place, but compared to this, it was nothing. The whole land was a burst of various shades of russet and gold, so bright it almost hurt my eyes. A waterfall of clear icy blue water cascaded down one of the rugged valley sides, until it eventually plunged into a small stream that winded through the valley until it became a spring that was located not too far away from where I was now. I looked back at the stables, and for a second I thought I saw a person with blonde hair standing there, but Flax bucked and caught me off guard, and once I had sorted myself out and looked back, whoever it was had gone, leaving me to believe I had just imagined them and there wasn't actually anybody there at all.

We moved back to the stable, and I untacked Flax, stroking his face and kissing his muzzle, laughing as he snorted when I did this. I placed his tack back where I found it and moved to groom him. I started humming as I brushed his coat, and almost dropped my brush in surprise when someone spoke from behind me.

"You are an extraordinarily talented rider."

I spun round to see Haldir leaning on the stable door, watching me with intent eyes. I blushed slightly returning to my work.

"I can't take all the credit. Flax here is a fine stallion, and if it wasn't for him and his mother I wouldn't be where I am now. I would have given up a long time ago."

"It is very unusual for a woman to own a male horse. Very few women are able to handle the power of a male stallion."

"Well, sometimes it just takes a strong determination"

There it was again, that word: determination. It seemed to be the one word I knew that suited me the best, especially as I had been called it so many times by so many people.

"He must also have a stubborn rider too" Haldir joked.

"Do you mock me, my Lord?" I asked, raising a challenge of my own with the tone of voice I used.

Haldir raised one of his eyebrows then, amusement shining in his crystal blue eyes. I found myself blushing once more at his extraordinary beauty that to me far surpassed any other elf I had yet to meet. He held his hand out and helped me to climb over the stall door. He grasped my waist and gently lowered me to the ground. As my feet touched the floor, I looked up at him and realised that this was the closest I had actually been to him while standing, and I realised just how tall he really was. I barely came to the top of his chest, and for me it was a strange feeling as up until this point I had been taller than any human man I had ever seen, so for someone to be taller than me, well, it was certainly new to say the least.

He gazed down and I realised that I hadn't let him go yet. I quickly pulled away and moved over to place the brushes back, thanking him for helping me as I did. He chuckled before stating that he had to leave, and bowed before he walked off. It wasn't until the door closed and I heard his footsteps fade that I realised something about my not letting him go.

He hadn't let me go either.

I was still pondering over it at dinner, and Elrohir had to wave his hand in front of me to gain my attention.

"Sorry?" I said.

"Is everything ok? You seem rather distant this evening."

"I apologise, I've had a lot on my mind since arriving here."

"And I suppose it has nothing to do with Haldir?" he asked, doubt etching in his voice.

I laughed, and he joined in with me. Once we stopped I forced myself to listen to what he had to tell me. Basically, he hadn't been at all surprised to find out that he had a niece as Elladan himself had told him. Elladan had wanted to see me, but my mother begged him to not come back as she couldn't bear for him to break her heart again. He told me that he didn't know why my father left at all; he just knew that when he heard the news of my mother's death, he left Rivendell to find me, and was never heard from again. He also told me that ever since he found out about my father's disappearance, he himself had been keeping an eye on me, making sure I was put into no peril.

"it's just typical though that the one time I have to leave to fight is the one time that you end up disguising yourself as a male to fight!" he joked.

I laughed with him, as now that the danger was over, and now that my nightmares of watching Haldir had subsided, I could joke about what I did, but deep down in my heart, I knew that I could never fully laugh about it, especially as I remembered the reason I did it in the first place, to defend my people. I turned my head to look down the table, and I noticed Haldir watching me with the same look in his eyes as earlier. As my gaze met his, he gave me the ghost of a smile before turning away to hit Rúmil round the back of the head for something the younger elf had just said.

I stood up and excused myself, moving over to the elves, fully aware that my grandfather and uncle were watching me very carefully as I did. I stood behind Rúmil and tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was there.

"And what was the joke that would cause your brother to react so violently?" I asked, knowing full well that the amused tone showed that I was not serious in the slightest.

"I was merely discussing with Haldir here about his sword. He claims that he gave it away, but I do not believe him."

Haldir once again looked at me but this time it was different. This time, it was like he was asking me to not say anything about the sword, yet at the same time hoping that I would to back him up.

"My lady? Are you feeling well?" Rúmil asked.

"I am fine, I just need some air, that is all."

I moved to exit, and Haldir stood up, offering me his arm. I looked at him in confusion. He sighed.

"If you are not well, then I am not about to let you go outside alone." he stated, as if it was obvious.

I allowed him to take me outside, and we sat down on a bench that was a short distance away from the dining hall.

"Are you planning on staying in Rivendell long?"

"If they will allow me, I wish to never leave" I answered honestly.

"I would very much like that. It is rather a distance away from Rohan."

He gave me a smile then, not a hint of one, but a proper one, and my heart fluttered itself into a frenzy. I smiled back, before sighing and turning my gaze upwards to stare at the stars. After a while, I shivered, and I felt an arm move round me, as Haldir pulled me towards him. I rested my head on his shoulder and we continued to sit in silence, watching the world go by.


	8. Riding with Haldir

I didn't even notice that I had fallen asleep, until I woke up the following morning in my bed. I sat up slowly, blinking my eyes rapidly, my forehead creased in thought as I tried to remember if I had woken up long enough to get to my room and just didn't remember doing it, or whether I was carried there. Probably the latter.

I stretched and spread my arms out, a soft smile appearing on my face. I quickly dressed and moved down to the dining room, only to find that nobody was there, which meant I was either really early or really late. A passing elf stopped and informed me that I had overslept and that the room was actually being prepared for luncheon so if I stayed a while I could eat then. I smiled and nodded before taking my place in the seat next to my grandfather's empty one.

After patiently waiting a few moments, the small growls coming from my stomach grew louder and louder, until I found myself blushing as a female elf walked past and started giggling to herself. I sighed and hoped that the food, or at least somebody else, would be here soon. Somebody must have heard my thoughts as less than a minute later; Rúmil came bounding into the room, slowly followed by his brothers. Rúmil saw me and waved.

"Hey you! Why are you all the way up there? Come sit with us!"

Orophin gently hit Rúmil over the back of the head.

"She cannot! She must be next to lord Elrond as she is his brethren!" he hissed.

Rúmil glanced down at the floor with a downcast expression, and the three of them sat down, Rúmil on one side of the bench, Orophin and Haldir sitting opposite him on the other side. Haldir sent me a single glance, but I didn't respond as my mouth set into a firm and determined line.

Without speaking, and barely noticing that my grandfather and uncle had just walked into the room as well as a load more elves, I stood up and determinedly moved towards the three brothers, and sat next to Rúmil, so that I ended up facing Haldir. The whole room went silent and as I glanced behind me, the whole group was staring at me. I gave my grandfather a pleading look, and he responded by coughing lightly to the group, which immediately caused them all to return to what they were doing. I thanked him by smiling, and he smiled back. As I turned back to eat, I noticed uncle Elrohir giving me a knowing smile. I hated it when people did that.

I reached out to take a sandwich off one of the plates when my fingers brushed something soft and warm. I withdrew my hand just as Haldir withdrew his. So that's what I touched. I blushed slightly as I took another sandwich and placed it on my plate, trying not to make it seem too obvious that I was extremely hungry as I forced myself to eat slowly. Rúmil laughed and when I glanced up, I realised he was laughing at me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What is so funny?"

"For some reason you are shaking and blushing. I was just thinking of reasons why that could be"

As he said it, he winked at me, and disgust rippled through my body. My eyes narrowed even further and I stood up, quietly leaving the room with a straight face, my food barely touched, and my stomach crying out in protest, but I had to leave. If I didn't, I would have ended up hurting Rúmil and I hated hurting people.

As soon as I was in the courtyard, I found myself regretting the decision to leave, as my stomach began to growl again and I frowned down at it.

"Silence" I mumbled.

"It will not quieten because you tell it to, you have to fill it" came an amused voice from behind me.

I spun round to see Haldir standing behind me, and my eyes lit up at the plate of food he held out to me. I took the plate and sat on the grass before slowly eating. He smiled and I asked him what was wrong.

"It is only me here; you do not have to eat so formally. From what I was told by Rúmil, you ate quite quickly in Lothlórien."

I decided to do as he said and ate much faster. Before long, the plate was empty and I let out a satisfied sigh.

Haldir ran back to the hall with my empty plate, but within seconds he was back, and I found myself amazed at not only his swiftness but his speed to. He held out his hand and helped me off the ground.

"Would you care to ride with me today?"

I nodded, and we set off towards the stable. Soon, we had both mounted our horses, and Haldir led me down a path I had never seen before, that eventually opened out into miles and miles of fields and hills. Haldir's horse thundered off, and Flax moved in the other direction, eager to enjoy the new environment on his own. For a few minutes, I relished in the fact that I was with Flax in yet another new area, but then I suddenly remembered Haldir, and as I looked back, I saw him watching the pair of us as he had done yesterday. I ushered Flax and we rejoined him.

I gave him a small smile to apologise for rushing off like that, but the look he gave me told me he hadn't minded at all. He pulled his horse round so that he was facing the hills before casting a look at me from over his shoulder.

"I know it is inappropriate of me, but would you like to head over to the hills? I know you are not wearing a cape or anything, so you may get cold, or…"

He couldn't finish his sentence as I sped past him, galloping off towards the hills, flinging my arms out once again as the wind brushed past me. Pretty soon, Haldir had caught up with me and within seconds, the ride had gone from being leisurely to a race. I won by a few paces and less than seconds later, Haldir stopped his horse beside Flax.

"How did your horse become so fast with a rider? Salair here has never been defeated yet!" he said.

I couldn't help but smile proudly at Flax then, and paused for a second to pat his neck and lean as far forward as possible to be able to place a fond kiss on the top of his head.

"I don't quite know how he is so fast" I admitted. "However, I am fairly certain that it is because his mother was extremely swift and elegant, yet his father was extremely powerful and could run for days at a time. I think he inherited those qualities, making him as strong and swift as he is. The reason he doesn't slow down when I ride him is because it is me who trained him from a colt, so he doesn't even notice my weight on him any longer."

Haldir seemed to ponder over that, as he went silent for a while.

"I suppose you are right. Anyway, he is a magnificent beast and he must have a magnificent rider to be able to unleash his full potential like that."

I felt the familiar blush spread across the top of my cheeks, and turned my head away so that Haldir would not see. Unfortunately, he did notice, and I felt a hand gently cup my cheek as he turned my face so that he could look at my eyes.

"Do not be afraid to show your emotions. Unlike my brothers, I would not tease you about it."

"But why not? Why are you so different from them?"

"By the time I was old enough to learn to fight, Orophin had just been born and so all my parents' attention was on him. This made me push everyone away as I felt they only spent time with me as they were too guilty about spending so much time with the baby. It was even worse when Rúmil was born."

I looked at him with a shocked expression, but he didn't notice, just continued to stare blankly in front of us, a small frown on his face.

"Before I was old enough to really understand the concept of being a good older brother, I was sent to Lady Galadriel, who made me one of the guards of Lothlórien. At the time I didn't understand why she chose me, but now I realise that she saw the potential in me to not only be a good leader, but to also become a good older brother. I returned home a few times, and found myself getting closer to my brothers, but I was so battle aged, I found I was unable to join in with their childish antics. Then came the war of the ring. Orophin was old enough to fight, so he became a bit more serious, but Rúmil refused to let his good nature go, and as he was too young to fight and the war barely reached Lothlórien, he managed to stay as carefree as he is today. I on the other hand got so lost in the battles, I thought I had lost all my innocence and perceived the world to have nothing good in it."

By this point, he was shaking from the bad memories, and I desperately wanted to do something to show I was there for him, but refrained myself from doing so as I didn't want to upset him.

"But then, you came along, and I realised that there was still hope and light, even in battle. To see a woman risk her own life like that really put it into perspective to me that I should focus more on the important things like bonding with my brothers, than fight all the time. When I nearly died, it was you who saved me, and it meant that finally, I could do just that. Now I'm closer than ever to my brothers, and I have a new perspective of life, and I have you to thank"

He turned his piercing eyes to mine, and I blushed once more, this time letting him see it. He gave me a soft smile, which I returned. I felt myself lean forward, and noticed he did too, closing his eyes as he did. I closed my eyes too, expectantly waiting for the kiss that I knew was coming…


	9. A fight followed by a heart to heart

_**I'm back!!!! Sorry it's been so long, my old laptop had a senile moment (aka, it died) and I've just got a brand new one today, so I'm back and will be never leaving again!!! Until this one dies anyway!**_

I should've known it wasn't going to happen. I just knew it, so it was with no surprise that just as our lips were about to meet, a soldier came crashing out of the other side of the trees, calling out to Haldir. We pulled away from each other quickly, and Haldir turned to address the elf.

"_what is the matter?"_

"_we need your help, we are under attack!"_

"_WHAT!?"_

Haldir forced Salair round and thundered towards Rivendell, me and Flax closely following him. He called for me to return to my room, and I decided to do as he told him. We parted and he barely gave me time to say good luck. I did however, have enough time to reach down the saddle and draw out the sword that he had given me at Helm's Deep. He however, shook his head and pushed the hand that held the sword back towards me.

"I gave this to you." was all he said.

At that, he tore down the pathways and joined the group of elves that had gathered at the entrance to the realm. They all slid out of view one by one and I watched with baited breath as I waited for their return. I did not have long to wait, as mere minutes after the group had vanished, they began returning, until eventually, a familiar head of pale hair appeared in the entrance. Immediately, I saw his eyes flicker up to meet mine, and as our gazes met, my heart fluttered at the breath-taking smile he sent my way, and I found myself smiling back brightly.

I moved back into my room, away from the window, and found myself highly relieved that everything was ok. Or at least, I thought it was. Not two minutes later, a hurried knock came from my door. As I opened it, Haldir gave me a worried gaze, as if he didn't want to be here.

"I am so sorry, but we need your help. Orcs. A few have banded together and are heading towards us. Though we have just fought one group, another is approaching and as many of our males are still away to help recover destroyed lands, we need anyone that can fight. I hate to ask this of you."

I frowned and pursed my lips slightly in thought.

"you say a few. Exactly how many?"

"I estimate around three hundred."

"and how many soldiers do you have?"

"twenty, maybe thirty at most"

I sighed and moved into my room, inviting him in as I did so. I moved around and quickly changed into my battle garments after asking him to turn away from me. I pulled on my boots, and the last thing I did before I was ready was pulled the sword out from it's hiding place under my windowsill, before drawing it and pushing past Haldir, making my way determinedly down the corridors, ready to fight.

Rúmil and Orophin met us at the main gate, along with a large group of soldiers. As I scanned the crowd, my eyes met Elrohir's and he looked quite surprised to see me there. I then saw my grandfather, and as he saw me, he beckoned me over to him. I slid up to him and before he could say anything, I set my eyes into a determined look and faced him squarely.

"_you are not stopping me from fighting" _I bluntly stated.

I had expected him to protest or argue, but instead, he merely shook his head in amusement and gave me a smile.

"_the size of this group of Orcs is so small, I have no worries at all over your safety. I will however ask you to be careful, just in case."_

I smiled warmly at him, and hugged him briefly as Haldir called us all out. I joined the group and managed to secure a place next to Rúmil, focussing on him rather than on the comments I could hear swirling to my ears about how a woman should not be in battle as they only slow the men down. I snorted rather unladylike. I'd show them.

Show them I did. As soon as the Orcs stomped towards us, I was the first, along with Haldir, to charge towards them, my sword at the ready. I sliced my way through the many Orcs and smiled in satisfaction as I heard the surprised comments and expressions on the soldier's faces as they realised that yes I was just a female, but I was strong, and a fighter too, not weak and unable to defend myself.

When the fight ended, I triumphantly turned my back on the group of elves that had been teasing me on the way to the battle, who were all now feeling slightly ashamed of their earlier judgement of my fighting ability. Rúmil walked with me, laughing the whole way back about how I showed them all up to be prejudiced. It wasn't until grandfather met us all at the main gate and a nudge from me that Rúmil finally quietened down enough to realise that there was a serious issue about to be addressed. Grandfather stood up and everybody fell silent as he began to speak.

"_My fellow Elves, though Middle Earth has entered a time of peace, there are still those rogue demons out there that will try to rise to power again, but we will fight back every single one of them. You all did brilliantly out there today. Now, let's go to dinner."_

A round of cheers followed his statement as the elves all rushed off to the dining room. I followed them, staying at the back so that I could see where Haldir was, as so far, I hadn't seen him return. As I entered the hall and took my seat next to Rúmil, I placed my sword and dagger onto the table alongside Rúmil's sword. As I bent my head down to eat, another sword dropped onto mine, and I looked back up to see a very annoyed looking Orophin sitting down opposite us.

"_something wrong my brother_?" Rúmil asked in his usual cheerful way.

Orophin scowled at his plate and grabbed a bread roll out of the middle of the table and tearing a piece off as he bit into it before replying.

"_I'm just so tired of fighting all the time. How much more death and pain does this realm need before we can be free again?"_

I dropped my gaze back down to my plate, my appetite suddenly gone. I gently picked at my food but after a few minutes, Rúmil and Orophin both noticed that I wasn't actually eating, so I left before they could question me.

Normally I would have gone to my room to draw a picture of one of the views from my room, but I just wanted some fresh air this evening, so I headed down to the stables and led Flax out of his stall, and jumping on his back as soon as we were outside, not even bothering to put his tack on. Once we were out in the fields, I found a tree that I liked the look of and slid off Flax's back, allowing him to run freely for a while. I sat under the tree and just watched the world go by, laughing as I watched how gaily he ran.

Before long, I heard another horse approach me, and I looked up to see Elrohir smiling at me as he jumped off his horse. He extended his arm and I grasped it so that he could pull me up off the floor.

"what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked in a light tone.

"just thinking."

"about Haldir?"

My head snapped up and he sent me another smile, the twinkle in his eyes telling me that he wasn't serious.

"don't worry, if you want to be with him, then don't let anything stop you. You can't help who you love."

"who taught you that?"

"your father."

I gave him a curious look then and he sighed before motioning for me to sit down. I did and he began to tell me about my father. He told me that when they were children, they were inseparable and gave their father more grey hairs than he could count. I laughed as he told me of their antics, but suddenly his tone became sombre and his face became more emotional.

"uncle?"

"then he met your mother. She was a young maiden from Rohan, and Elladan was instantly smitten with her. They spent her whole stay together, and when she left, he went with her. He was gone for nine years, married her and they lived so happy, then one day, Elladan came back, without your mother. He was broken, wouldn't talk, nothing, then when the war broke out and we were sent out, he told me about you. You see, he knew about you all along, and your whole life, he watched over you, then when you were sent to Gondor, he left me in charge of looking after you while he went to battle. That was the last time I ever saw him, so I still have no idea to this day what made him leave."

When he finished speaking, I looked down at the ground, swallowing back the tears that were building up. I felt Elrohir's arm slide round my arm, and I leant into him as I sobbed quietly to myself.


	10. On the road again

For a couple of weeks after I had spoken with my uncle, I distanced myself from everyone, rising and going out before many were awake, eating when nobody was around and staying out of the way. Not because I was being rude, it was just that I had a lot to think about, and I just needed some space alone to think. The main thoughts that went through my head were reasons why my mother and father separated if they were so in love with each other. Something told me that I wasn't going to find my answer in Rivendell, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave as I had settled so well into my new home.

Eventually, I made my decision, and even though it was going to be hard to do, I found myself making determined steps towards my granfather's chambers. Having heard me approach, the door was already open and he beconed me in. I stood near te door, not wanting to be too far in the room when I spoke.

"What can I do for you Aeva?"

"I need permission to leave Rivendell for a while."

He looked extremely surprised, as if that was the last thing he had expected me to say.

"Pardon me?"

"I wish to travel Middle Earth, see the land, and more importantly, I need answers to my questions. Answers I cannot receive here."

Grandfather looked thoughtful for a moment, but when he looked back at me I could see in his eyes that he was going to allow my trip.

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few months maximum."

"You'll stay far away from Isengard and Mordor?"

"Of course. I would never venture near there. I plan to visit Rohan, Gondor, Lórien, and possibly the Shire. Would you be happy with that?"

"Of course. But understand, you are not going alone. I will be sending Haldir, Orophin and Rúmil with you."

I brightened immediately at that. I had grown extremely fond of Haldir's brothers, and even more so of Haldir himself, so the thought of going on a journey with the three of them lifted my spirits.

The three brothers were summoned up to my grandfather, and as each one arrived, the seemed surprised to see me there.

"Aeva?" Haldir asked after he had bowed to us.

I smiled and looked over to grandfather, telling him to let them know of the task they were to do. Once they had been given the overview, grandfather handed it back over to me to fill in the details.

"Ok you three, I plan on going to The Shire, Gondor, Rohan, and finally Lórien. I want to go before I wind up too settled here because if I end up settled here, I'll never want to leave and I've dreant of exploring Middle Earth my whole life. I want to go now too because I'm still young, I have so much energy and strength now, and I want to see places where I can visit again when I am an old lady."

Haldir watched me the whole time, and I noticed that he had a strange twinkle in his ye, that took me a while to recognise as excitement. It seemed that he was looking forward to this as much as I myself was. I finished telling them where and when we would meet, and I found myself blushing as all three bowed to me before leaving the room. Times like that reminded me that I was royalty, and even though I considered the three brothers to be my closest friends, yet I had to remind myself that when in the public eye, they were a lower status than I was, and therfore they had to act appropriately. I hated it, but I understood too that that was how it must always be.

Once my bags were packed the next day, I walked down to the stables and smiled gently as both Flax and Salair whinnied at my arrival.

"How are my favourite horses today?" I asked as I moved over to Flax and wrapped my arms round his neck.

He gently blew on my hair as he did everytime I hugged him, and as always I found myself giggling and swatting him softly on the nose, which in turn caused him to sneeze, spraying me with liquid. I groaned and wiped my face clean again and smiled at him again, feeling a rush of warmth as his gentle brown eyes gazed lovingly into my eyes. I heard a noise from behind me and turned in time to see Haldir enter the stables.

"Good Morning" he said.

"Good Morning" I replied.

He fell quiet and I watched as he moved over to Salair and gently stroked her flank. She snorted in content and I groaned as yet again, I was sprayed. Haldir looked up from Salair's flank, and as he saw the liquid on my face, I could see he was trying to hold back his laughter. I shrugged and wiped my face again before picking up Flax's saddle and placing it on his back. I turned to go and fetch his bridle but I connected with Haldir's chest. I looked up at him and I could see the amusement in his eyes causing them to twinkle so intensly, they looked like they would explode at any given moment. He raised his hand and gently cupped my face.

"You missed a bit" He chuckled and wiped away the last of the liquid.

I blushed and quickly averted my gaze, but I still saw his chuckle. I smiled back and we both returned to tacking up our horses. No more words were spoken, no more questions asked about why we were doing this quest, and no uncomfortable silences. It was just a peaceful quiet, until Rúmil came in and ruined it. He burst into the stable, successfully startling me and the horses, and Haldir just sighed before giving his brother a level glance.

"Must you be so loud?"

"Yes I must for what is life if we are all a sombre as you, Brother?"

I giggle very quietly, but Haldir heard and gave me a look. I turned my giggle into a small cough before excusing myself, ignoring Rúmil's laughter as the door shut behind me. Before long, the four of us were ready, our horses packed, out capes clasped over our shoulders. I opted to wear my blue one as it wasn't too cool out, but was still too cool to wear my lightweight cape. I said a quick farewell to Grandfather and Uncle Elrohir, but then I was up on Flax and we set off, flying across the countryside, Flax and I in the lead, Haldir barely a second behind, and the other two quite far behind that. My heart soared. I was on the road again, off to find out the truth about my parents, and find out what really happened.


End file.
